Many Dodger fans are worried that Mookie Betts will be a problem at SS. Some are begging the Dodger to put his back at RF or 2B. That is not going to happen. Mookie says that the infield is easier on his body as he does not have to run as much and walk out to the furthest part of the park every inning. He prefers to play SS. I say let him! I also say that the fans who think he can’t play SS at a high level are wrong… Watch and learn! I’ll tell you why.
Last Spring Training, the Dodgers did not listen to me when I told them and everyone who reads this blog that Gavin Lux could not play SS. The Dodgers have very smart guys in the font office and I would love to see why on earth someone believed that Gavin Lux could play SS. Even Ray Charles could see that he was no SS! At any rate, two weeks before the end of Spring Training, the Dodgers had seen enough and decided to switch Lux and Betts. So, Mookie had to learn SS on the fly. He looked very good at times and not so good at others. I would not say he ever looked bad (he’s too good an athlete) and most of his errors were on throws.
The throwing motion from shortstop is entirely different that the throwing motion from Right Field… and make no mistake… Mookie is blessed with a very good arm. He is likely already working on altering that arm angle and changing his release point. It’s a quicker, snappier, throw… with no windup. It takes a while until muscle memory takes over. I am sure he is working on this as we speak. Recently, Fabian Ardaya wrote this in The Athletic:
Given the circumstances, Betts’ first foray as the Dodgers’ everyday shortstop panned out. When he broke his left hand on a hit-by-pitch in June, he was pacing all shortstops in baseball in FanGraphs’ WAR (though his bat carried much of the surplus value). Betts was an MVP candidate who still logged votes despite missing close to two months.
But the move wore on him, he said. Betts’ acclimation to the position was largely on the fly in the absence of spending time there at spring training. Defensive metrics were split on his overall production at the position, but Betts’ throwing presented some challenges as he learned to adapt to the different arm angles and throwing mechanics from what he’d experienced as a six-time Gold Glove winner in right field.
“If you look at all of the most challenging parts of the position, he does (those) really well,” Gomes said. “And where he struggled was throwing. You go watch him in right field, it’s one of the best arms in the game; it’s incredibly accurate. So those things are most challenging to teach: getting off the ball, range, making exceptional plays, his pre-pitch timing. He nailed those. It was really syncing up his throw from that because he’s been so used to the outfield throw.
“So I think that will be the majority of his work, is how does he access what is an elite arm and have that translate to the infield?”
When Betts returned in August, it was as a right fielder, with an eventual move back to the dirt in mind. The idea was that, with more time, Betts would be set up better to succeed at the position this time around.
That means that, come Opening Day, Lux will likely be the Dodgers’ second baseman, where he showed adequate defense last season and appeared to find something with the bat, posting an .899 OPS after the All-Star break.
It also means the newly extended Tommy Edman will likely be the club’s everyday center fielder, though he and veteran Miguel Rojas represent stopgaps in the situation where the Dodgers pivot.
“Right now as the roster is kind of where it’s at, (this) continues to give us a lot of flexibility,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It’s an easy bet to bet on him with the full offseason.”
Give Mookie the offseason and all of Spring Training and Mookie will be the All-Star Shortstop over Lindor. Bet on it! He started as a SS and switched to 2B before Dustin Pedroia blocked him and he switched to RF. Now he has come back full circle. I am very connfident Mookie will play SS at a very high level… just as I was confident that Gavin Lux was not a SS.
Today is Baseball Solstice Day which is the mid point between the last out of the World Series and the first pitch of Spring Training.
How in the hell did you come up with that? 😉
My wife read it and shared it with me.
The best athletes are usually shortstops. No doubt Mookie can handle the position.
If Mookie succeeds at SS, he could win MVP next season.
And I don’t think that’s a big “if” at all.
Mookie is now 32 years old. Perhaps he has a couple of seasons of SS in him before he shifts to 2B.
That sounds about right… and it coincides with when Lux will be a Free Agent.
NEVER bet against Mokie Betts to succeed at shortstop. The ultimate team player.
sure hope he does great at shortstop!! i believe Lux will be fine at second base. Still a little nervous about Max at 3rd though. But he should be fine. So Rojas, Chris T.,Barnes, and WHO else? Kike, Outman, and Conforto? is there room for Kike? i believe outman is gone!
Front office has indicated that their plan is not to platoon Conforto, but to start him along with Edman and Teo as the three regular outfielders. All of that is subject to change of course, but if we take them at their word, that leaves a bench of CT3, Rojas, Barnes and probably one of Pages or Outman. That last spot might be decided in Spring Training.
Since both of those guys have options remaining they can be exchanged as necessary unless one of them is included in a trade.
Yeah, and they said Lux was the SS at one time.
If you look at the splits, Comforto and Pages whould be perfect platoon partners.
Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see.
Conforto actually had better splits against LHP than RHP last year although that hasn’t been the case for his career stats.
That is true, but I think it was the result of where he was playing. Pages absolutely crushed LHP last year. Comforto would get 400+ ABs aina platoon and I that would keep him healthier as well.
Where did you read this STB?
As I recall, I saw it in a couple of places.
I think there was a quote from Gomes in Yardbarker. It wasn’t a flat out statement but it certainly seemed like they were leaning that way.
Also, mention was made in the OC Register in one of their Dodger columns.
Jeff D. also mentioned that he had seen the same kinds of comments.
So, the only quote I’ve seen from Gomes on this is:
“I don’t believe Michael is now a better hitter vs. left than right,” Gomes said. “I do believe with his swing and his path that he will handle left-handers better than he has historically, and he will still maintain a very high level vs. right, especially when you look at what he did on the road and some of the under-the-hood stuff.”
I’m not sure that’s what you read, but it definitely doesn’t mean that Conforto won’t be a platoon.
Actually, I may not be right about that. I have a hard time figuring out just what Gomes is saying.
Thank you, anyway, for the response
His comment that you refer to is definitely open to interpretation.
By saying he thinks Conforto will handle LHP better than he has historically, it seems as though he’s indicating he will get the opportunity to do so. He wouldn’t have that opportunity if they were going to platoon him.
with Edman being a switch hitter, and if Kike doesn’t come back, Pages seems to make more sense than Outman. Pages can play center field if Edman moves to Second or short . With James strikeout rate, unless he blows them away in spring training, i believe he starts in AAA, or is traded. James has good speed, plays a very good center field and has power. His only problem is k’s! Trading James will clear a spot fir Tanner Scott! If they don’t plan on platooning Conforto, the only playing time Pages will get is when Edman sits, or When Teo or Conforto needs a break. Not counting on Rojas to replicate last year’s performance. It would be nice, but maybe unreasonable. Hopefully all the optimism people are showing Chris Taylor comes true. I know Barnes is a glue! Handles the pitching staff well, and is loved by everyone. Hey maybe he can scratch out a .250-.260 average this season. Production off the bench will be important . And with no Kike (maybe) , those guys will have to step up. So if comes down to signing Kike or keeping James, what do they do?
Kike was signed to help win a WS. He was instrumental in a number of the Dodgers playoff wins. He also hit much better once he started wearing glasses. How do the Dodgers not resign him?
Of course it is about the money. Kike has to see if he can get a lot more from some other team and the Dodgers are letting him. He will be a late signing… if they sign him.
Then… there will be injuries and someone will show out…
Who?
Don’t know!
i like Gavin Lux! i would hate for him to leave, but if that white sox rumor has any legs, he could be part of a trade to the sox for Luis Robert. would Lux, cartaya, Gonsolin, and another prospect get it done? Pages or Outman included? Moves Edman to second. ….. It would be sad for Gavin to go to that ever sinking ship called the White sox. I’ll never forget that picture of Vargas in the white sox dugout! He looked so sad and desolate! But it is the major leagues, and they make good money, so maybe they should feel sorry for us! Seriously though, it’s the nature of baseball. Maybe Gavin thrives somewhere else. Maybe he is another Vargas. Another prospect we were all excited for, and just will never pan out. Gavin has the tools to be a star. Not a superstar. kinda reminds me of Steve Sax. The dodgers let him go and he had some good success with the yankees. Maybe Gavin needs that too. Still, it’s just a rumor. Not all rumors have legs. But this one does make sense, Robert has to be. moved while the value is high, not at the trade deadline. The sox could be even worse this season, and Luis could go into a free fall and his value hit rock bottom. The worst scenario for the dodgers? Robert hits .230 with 30 homers and 75 RBI’s and bats 7th or 8th in that lineup! The best scenario? l’ll leave that to your imagination!
Agree Mookie will be fine at SS. After seeing many of Mookie’s games since he was a rookie in Boston, it’s abundantly clear he’ll excel at whatever he sets out to do.
But not sure Mook at SS is the Dodgers best team this year.
If I’m a Dodger pitcher I want Mookie’s elite glove and arm anchoring outfield D; and Miggy doing the same at SS.
Team ERA is positively influenced by gold gloves playing D, and Mookie in right gives the Dodgers more gold gloves on D.
Gold gloves on D make every pitcher better every time out. With a pitching staff dominated by right handers, having a magician playing right field works.
I think Mookie is done with the outfield and I think he knows his body best, so I am going with whatever he wants.
Michael Norris, aka/Bear just called me and said that he is in the VA at Long Beach.
They are still working on the infection in his foot and say he is getting much better care there. He says, “HI!” to everyone.
Get well Michael. Happy ,Healthy,Safe,Prosperous New Year to you and your family!
Wishing you all the best Bear! Miss your posts. you should comment here from time to time! …. So Doc about to become the highest paid manager in the game! Well deserved after the masterful job he did in 2024! I’m not being hypocritical here, i haven’t always been his biggest fan. But i acknowledge the job he did in the 2020 playoffs and the regular seasons since. And his handling of the pitching in the playoffs this past season was magnificent. To lose Stone, yamamoto,Glasnow, Kershaw, River Ryan, and whatever Bobby vMiller’s problems were, Walker Buehler’s struggles to get back! Jack Flaherty was good, but not great. Knack was for the most part solid, not outstanding. The bullpen was running on fumes. But somehow Roberts navigated them through it all. Well deserved Dave Roberts whatever they pay you! Now AF, just sign Tanner Scott and get everyone healthy for 2025! … i do believe if the Giants sign Pete Alonzo, and the Friars don’t burn it down, the NL West is going to be the best division in baseball! Poor Buddy Black and the Rockies! is it the money or the love of the game with Buddy?? Can’t make me believe he wouldn’t be on a contender if he wanted to be! After all, Doc said he’s learned a lot from Buddy! the dodgers are the best team in baseball again! adding Tanner Scott would only solidify that title!
Will Dave Roberts get a 5 Year/$50 Million Dollar deal?
The highest paid manager is Craig Counsell at 5 years/$40 Million Dollars!
I think we will know shortly.
NO 3 years max. Maybe $10 million per year.
Happy, Healthy,Safe and Proserpous 2025 to all. Dodgers complete the terrific 2024 off season by signing Roki Sasaki and Tanner Scott in 2025.
And how many world series rings does Counsel possess? Don’t get me wrong, he’s good. Don’t buy into the narrative that Dave Roberts has a checkbook to thank for his titles! There are many home grown players on the dodgers. there are several castoffs on the dodgers. Trades and good signings for players does not create checkbook baseball! The dodgers haven’t done anything 12-15 other teams couldn’t have done if not for “tight -ss owners. Bottom line? pay Dave Roberts!
Dave Roberts is the glue that holds it all together and I think the Dodgers will make him the highest paid manager.
But will his contract have deferrals?
If Doc is smart… yes.
I think Doc will wind up with the highest annual salary but I would be very surprised if they go 5 years with him.
I’d guess something like 4/36.
Give the man his due. He has shown his loyalty and given what has been asked of him by owners and management.
There has been none better, he is the cream of the crop. Pay the man and be grateful you can. No less than 5 / 50.
My 2 cents on the matter.
happy new yearsand holidays to all
OK. I am convinced. I’ll give him the fifth year
Does a Manager’s salary count in the total for Luxury Tax purposes?
Another question would be the percent of salary going toward CBT for a player-manager.
Watford: No
A player manager would certainly be an arguable issue. There’s no history under the nex way.
2025 is upon us. And the Dodgers are poised for another epic year. I hope it’s an epic year for all of us too!
Happy New Year.
Book em
Dave Roberts has the best managerial winning percentage in baseball.
He is now entering hallowed ground.
If CC got 5 Year/$40 Million, Guggenheim & Company would be huge Cheapskates not to pay Doc $50 Million over 5 years. They are not…